It was a weekend of thrills and chills. For the Grand Opening of the Batten Center and Super Bowl Sunday, the Leadership Council formed the Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is a flag football tournament among students to win a turkey dinner in the hospitality suite. Junior Jason Seward and sophomore Leah Starkey coordinated the bowl, comprised of six teams. Games started on Friday and the championship game was held on Sunday.

“It gave a chance for Wesleyan students to play football,” said Seward. “It will become an annual thing.” Some of the basic rules the teams followed were that a female and a male needed to be present at all times on the floor. All teams were allowed to have only six people on the field. In the final game to earn extra points the two teams had to do end zone dances. “I thought it was fun,” said junior, George Rogers. “It gave a chance to play football and got more people involved in the Center.” The championship game on Sunday was played between South “Whaat” and Old Hall. They fought a hard battle, but South “Whaat” that won. “We did not think it was that easy,” said one of the victors. “We would like to come back, and the title is staying in South.”

Up on the track there is a big crowd roaring as the Lady Marlins score a three-point shot. A closer look at this big group shows that it is the ladies from Smithdeal Hall having dessert and cheering at the first basketball game in the center. This was the first hall program that RA Naoimi Belsinger planned for her hall. Now that the Batten Center is open, more and more RA’s are starting to plan hall programs utilizing the center. Ideas that they are throwing around are competitions between the different halls or getting their halls to go to the basketball games at the center. “We went to the first basketball game as a hall,” said Heather Campbell, resident assistant for Old Hall.

To find interest in the activities, RAs hang flyers or ask the residents if they have any ideas for hall programs. The main idea is to get interest in the center and promote hall unity. “Our RA puts up a flyer with dates of events that we want to go to as a hall,” said freshman Kristen Cabido. Most of the RAs at this time are still planning what they want to do. There are many options, such as joining the new intramural program or competing against other halls in sporting events. One of the many options the RAs are thinking about is the rock climbing wall. “We all have not come up with all of the socials for this semester,” said Leah Starkey, resident assistant for upstairs Eggleston. “We are looking into more competitions between halls so that we can create hall pride.”

Since the opening of the Batten Center, the RAs have seen more of their residents getting out of their rooms and into the center. They have seen some of their residents working out in the new weight room or doing some intramural activity. “I have seen lots of my girls playing soccer in the gym,” said Heather Campbell. According to Ryan Brown, assistant residence life director, they are expecting more hall programs using the Batten Center, which will help get the resident students to interact more. “The big goal is for the RAs to work themselves out of job using the Batten Center,” said Brown. Most of the residents will find that more and more of the hall programs will be in the Batten Center. The residents may become certified to climb a rock wall or go play basketball. “On certain days we are planning to go to the sauna as a hall,” said freshman Gina Allman. “Plus Katie Gunther is our RA and she works there and fills us in on new programs.”